"Unique architectural and environmental gems – each with its own unique
story to tell. They embody dreams about a sneak peek behind the curtain,
the glittering simulacra, unimaginable power and neon riches."

– Joe Lewis, Dean of the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, UC Irvine

L.A. Skies

This series of photographs of Los Angeles by photographer Jim McHugh began
in the early 1990s as an homage to Hollywood’s Golden Era, to the noir world of Raymond
Chandler, and continuing to the newest landmarks of the city. The images span nine decades, beginning with The Orpheum Theatre, built for
the vaudeville stage in 1923, and concluding with the dynamically contemporary
8500 Burton Way, which was completed in 2012.

McHugh’s images of these Los Angeles architectural celebrities fit seamlessly into this
newly remodeled space at The Grove. A personal project of developer Rick
Caruso, The Whisper Restaurant and Lounge is based conceptually on the
famous private supper clubs of old Hollywood, such as Perino’s, La Rue and The
Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel. The sounds of Sinatra, Billie Holliday
and Bing Crosby take you back to another era. Caruso himself is an astute
historian of the city.

Jim McHugh has garnered many awards for his photography and is included in
such prominent collections as the Museum of Modern Art, the Walker Art Center,
and the National Portrait Gallery in London.

All of the images are captured on 4x5 Polaroid film, a medium that is no longer
manufactured, or Fuji Instant 4x5 film, which is no longer available in the United
States. Each 23.5” x 18.5” image is printed in an edition of 25 on INNOVA Digital
Fine Art Paper.

The work of Jim McHugh is available through Timothy Yarger Fine Art - Beverly Hills.

With Olivia Penfold, interior designer for the $500,000 remodel of The Whisper Lounge